Gov. Lalong denies herdsmen takeover of Plateau villages

Governor Simon Lalong has debunked circulating reports of some villages in Plateau taken over by herdsmen.

The governor responded to the speculations on Sunday at a service at St. Monica Catholic Church, Jos, to mark the 2023 Plateau Forgiveness Day.

“I can say authoritatively that there is no report on my table that any village has been taken over,’’ he said.

Lalong, however, appealed to the people to forgive the government over the hardship caused by the scarcity of fuel and new naira notes.

The governor said he and his colleagues were concerned about the situation and had met with the president to address it.

“On behalf of all of us, we apologise for the pain being inflicted on the society and we ask for forgiveness,” he said.

Lalong assured that the Federal Government was working to alleviate the pain caused by the policy.

Plateau Forgiveness Day, celebrated annually on February 7, was conceived as part of efforts to continue the restoration of peace.

The initiative was implemented by the Plateau Peace Building Agency and launched by President Muhammadu Buhari in 2018.